1: A christmas miracle
by WIWJ
Summary: Jordan and Woody may actually be able to be friends right? Our two starcrossed lovers see if they can find the way back to each other, and to themselves. I've edited this a little.. It's going to be the first in a series.. lucky for us it's now AU..


Okay, what am I supposed to write her? That I don't own these Characters. I don't. That I am not officiated with the show? I'm not. Damn.I don't get any money from the pretenders song either.

This is the first of (I think) 5 stories in this 'Special Universe'.

I read somewhere that Lu is not there to do what we think she is... A girl can dream.

The Christmas Miracle 

Jordan slid her hand around the rim of her glass. Glancing cautiously at Garrett, who was easily on his fifth scotch.

_Merry Christmas to you_, she thought. Nigel was talking to the alien girl he'd met in the morgue. Bug was uncomfortably trying to engage in small talk with Lily and ADA Jeffery. She patted Pollak on the arm and stood up.

"Lily, you look absolutely beautiful." She said settling down beside her friend.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Lily laughed smiling widely at her as Jordan glanced back at the door. "Still no Woody yet, huh?" Jordan went to protest but stopped short, if anyone knew how she felt about Woody Hoyt it was Lily. It was Lily who had spent hours sitting with her in the hospital as Woody's life hung in the balance. Lily was the one who'd held Jordan's hand as she cried.

"I just though it was getting better, you know?" Jordan winced. When Bug had come to her asking if they were still sending a Christmas party invitation to Woody she'd been mortified. She had optimistically thought no one had noticed the awkwardness between her and Det. Hoyt. Lily's sympathetic observation made it even more clear that everyone knew.

"He said he was coming." Lily said smilingly tentatively." He asked if he could bring Det. Simmons. I told him it was okay." She sucked breath through her teeth. "Was that okay?"

Jordan tried not to look fazed. She widened her eyes and shook her head admiralty denying her tension.

"I like her." She swallowed her pride. "He deserves some one like her. Strong, no issues. She's good for him"

"I don't know Jordan," Lily whispered turning her head away from Jeffery. "I think you are pretty damn good for him." Jordan smiled gratefully and glanced back to the door.

She looked away from it as it opened for Woody and Tallulah.

Woody looked around until Nigel lifted his glass to him. Smiling, he took off Tallulah's coat and hung it next to his. She smiled and bravely stepped towards the only person she knew in the crowd.

"Hi." She smiled at Jordan. "Thank you so much for inviting me."

"No problem." Jordan said shaking her head slowly. "Oh, this is Lily Lebowski. Lily this is Lu Simmons."

Lily smiled warmly and shook the woman's hand. "This is my boyfriend--.."

"ADA." Talulah interrupted recognizing the man at Lily's side.

"It's Jeffery tonight, Detective." He said waving his hands in front of his face.

"Jeffery." She nodded.

"This is Nigel and Bug." Jordan finished the introductions. "You've met Doctor Macey. JD Pollak." She broke off her smile at Garrett to frown at the reporter who had squared off against Woody last week.

"Sit. Sit. Sit." Nigel encouraged, pulling Lu out a chair. "Woody, get over here."

Jordan looked up at Woody, and followed his hard gaze to Pollak. Shrinking down into the chair beside her lover, she pulled her eyes off the man she loved.

"I mean a story is a story, you know?" JD laughed looking towards Jordan who had locked eyes with Det. Hoyt. "What do you think, Babe?" He tossed his arm around her shoulder.

She shrugged her eyebrows at him while Woody stood up. "Who needs a drink?"

Garrett raised his glass in affirmation, Pollak tapped Jordan's glass.

"It's a-. What is it, Babe?"

"I know what Jordan wants." Woody announced boldly, taking her breath away. He turned towards the bar with out so much as a glance at Pollak. "I can get it for her." Pollak licked his teeth beneath his lips before looking at Jordan. She was starring at Woody, awe struck. He nodded, seemingly knowing his fate that he had only expected this evening. She'd tried to tell him something, before they had left her apartment, he had managed to wiggle out of it. He'd thought, if she saw he could blend in with her friends, it might buy him some time to win her over. It wasn't going so well.

He watched Jordan's eyes light up as she raised her head towards the stereo speakers.

"I love this song." She said to Garrett.

"No, no. Don't look at me" He said shaking his head back and forth emphatically.

" I don't dance." Pollak raised his hands up in surrender.

"Can't or don't?" She cocked her head to the left.

"Both." He laughed, smiling at Garret.

Woody sat down the drinks in front of them as Jordan looked up at him pleadingly.

"I guess they are playing our song aren't they." He said blankly. Pollak's mouth dropped open as the detective extended his hand somewhat reluctantly to her. Jordan took it her lips pressed together in a nostalgic smile. Only then did Pollak listen to the song. The Pretenders _I'll stand by you_.

Oh, Why you look so sad?  
Tears are in your eyes  
Come on and come to me now  
Don't be ashamed to cry  
Let me see you through  
Cause I've seen the dark side too.

Jordan and Woody danced around each other until he impulsively pulled her towards him. She pressed her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes.

When the night falls on you  
You don't know what to do  
Nothing you confess  
could make me love you less

He kissed the top of her head an squeezed his eyes shut. Only then did Pollak start to rise to his feet.

I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you

"Hey." Tululah stood in his path. "Ruined anyone's career lately?"

"Dr. Detective! I thought you said I wasn't worth it?"

"Your not." She gestured back towards the dance floor. "They are."

He watched Jordan look up at him, theb press her head into his shoulder.

So,  
If your mad, get mad  
Don't hold it all inside  
Come on and talk to me now  
But hey, what you've got to hide  
I get angry too  
But I'm a lot like you

"Get out of my way, Detective." He growled.

"Get out of theirs Pollak." She insisted.

He turned to protest more until he saw Jordan's face. Her eyes were closed tears slipped down her smiling face.

When you're standing at the crossroads  
Don't know which path to choose  
Let me come along  
Cause even if your wrong...

She pressed against Hoyt. For his part, Hoyt seemed right at home in her arms as well.

I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you  
Take me in into your darkest hour  
And I'll never desert you  
I'll stand by you

Pollak's stomach churned as the detective laid his cheek against her hair and readjusted his arms more tightly around her.

And when,  
When the night falls on you baby  
Your feeling all alone  
Walking on your own

_Malaria's back,_ He thought to himself. _And it's catching._

I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you  
Take me in into your darkest hour  
And I'll never desert you  
I'll stand by you

"Jordan?" Woody whispered into her hair as they held each other on the dance floor.

I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
Ill stand by you

"Hum?" She said calmly from his shoulder, but he had felt her flinch.

"I missed this." He pressed his words into her scalp, as she relaxed back into him in relief.

The song had ended, another had come and gone. They said nothing, he just held onto her, afriad to let go.

"Woody, I.." She was going to say she missed this, too. She wanted to say that she missed him. She was going to say something, anything. Then she saw Pollak walking towards the door. "I have to go." He released her, looking hurt as she met his eyes quickly. "I'm sorry. We can do this later right?I really wanttodo this, I do.I'm sorry."

He watched her charge towards the door after Pollak. _Damn it_.

* * *

She found him in front of the bar hailing a cab.

"Where are you going?"

"What were you going to tell me tonight, Cavanaugh?"

"I didn't mean for it to be like this, Pollak." She looked down at the sidewalk.

"Well go ahead say it."

It suddenly seemed odd to her that they were not on a first named basis. It had seemed cute at first, pet names. Now it just seemed like another way to keep each other at a distance. Another way for her not to feel like he was Woody's replacement.

"What do you want me to say?" She couldn't do this, not like this. He took her by the shoulders and looked into his eyes.

"I want you to tell me why you called him to pick you up that night. I want you to tell me why your eyes light up every time he walks into the room. I want you to admit that you didn't want to rip me to pieces for the article I wrote about him."

"Admit it, I'm not the cure for Malaria, Jordan." He said boldly. She shook her head. "Go on, Please, tell me that I'm wrong."

She sighed and her lip curled up into her familiar smirk.

"I wish I could." She muttered.

"No." He said shaking his head back and forth. "I don't think you do."

He pulled back from her and reached into his pocket. He kissed her cheek, pressing her house key into her hand. "Thanks for the fun, Kid." He winked as he got into the cab.

* * *

Woody's eyes lifted when she returned, she looked at him until he looked away.

"Everything Okay?" It was Lu's voice that pulled her back.

"Yeah sure." She smiled.

"I'm sorry they can't get along. I can tell how important Woody is to you."

"Is this shrink talk?" Jordan joked awkwardly.

" I knew he was jealous after their little run in at the station but-"

"Wait. Wait what?" She found herself riveted by Tallulah's words.

"Pollak didn't tell you?" She put a comforting hand on Jordan's arm.

"I wish you would." She pleaded.

"After the article, Pollak came to the station to get "Woody's side" of the story. Woody tried to just put him off. Pollak asked him if he expected him to 'cut him a break because he used to sleep with his girlfriend.'" She used her fingers to mark out Pollak's words. Jordan's eyes slammed shut. Lu waited for her to open them before continuing. "I thought Woody was going to kill him."

"Yeah." Jordan breathed. " I bet."

"Neither one of them ever mentioned it to you?"

Jordan shook her head and walked away. She couldn't do this now. Oh God! She wanted to, she thought, still smelling him on her.

"I've got to go." She told the group at the table waving away there moans. "I think someone had a little to much to drink. " She said gesturing towards the door that represented the long gone Pollak.

Her eyes turned back to Woody, who nodded his head towards her. She opened her mouth to mouth something to him, he shook his head. She watched the word _go_ form on his lips. She gave him a soft smile and left to go home, alone, for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Det. Woody Hoyt rounded the corner of the morgue like he owned the place.

"Come on boys, tell me what I want to hear." He shouted clapping his hands together. Nigle and Bug, as usual, didn't' look up from the body.

"It's your lucky day, Woodrow." Nigle chirped holding a thin strand of hair by a pair of long tweezers.

"There was hair in her hands." Bug said dryly.

"Please, tell me you have DNA. More importantly the creepy boyfriend who was supposed to be fishing's DNA." Woody sang.

"We should know something momentarily."Bug's usual unexcited voice told him.

"Momentarily?" Woody looked expectantly towards Nigel, catching site of someone in the next room.

"Woody these things do take a few minutes you know." Bug mused.

"Great fine, whatever, take as long as you need." Woody mumbled distractedly. Nigel and Bug both looked at him in awe. Then following his form through the windowed doors, they looked at each other in understanding. Bug looked up a Nigel meticulously placed the hair back down in the dish.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Hum… Long enough for **her** to tell **him** that the Annoying Aussie is no more." He said punctuating the subjects with by waging his finger towards the other room.

"When did that happen?" Bug exclaimed moving closer to his friend. Nigel raised his eyebrows and leaned in to tell his friend what he had forced Jordan to tell him this morning.

* * *

"Hey."

She looked up at the sound of his voice, surprised to see him. The casual stops by the morgue to see her had stopped after the shooting. His shoulders sagged a little, after last night, he had expected her to be happier to see him.

"Woody." He loved that sound, the way his name came off of her lips like that. "What are you doing here?"

She regretted it the moment she said it, even before she had the chance to see the way his eyes flashed. The uncomfortableness remained, she thought to herself. His psychical stiffness in her presence had melted back to his normal posture, but his eyes would always betray him. His blue eyes. She thought briefly about Laura and what she had said about seeing yourself in someone's eyes. It had been a long time since she'd held Woody's gaze long enough to see anything.

"The guys are putting together reasonable cause for me in trace." He looked down at his shoes before she could see anything. "I was just-. I just came in to say, hey."

She took him in for a minute, watching his jaw clench in annoyance of the awkwardness were it had once been so easy. He looked almost pained at the sight of her. There were so many things that were going unsaid, so many things she could say in response to his olive branch.

"Hey." She said remorsefully, adjusting the nonexistent collar of her scrub top in cowardly defeat. He jerked his head back in a defiant gesture. She winced.

"Well then, I'm gonna go see how it's going." He turned to walk back into trace.

"Woody, are we ever going to get past this? I thought maybe after last night.--" He stopped quickly in acknowledgment of her bold statement, but never turned around. "I thought maybe things were getting better, between us, you know?" His head moved slightly towards her, trying to stop from saying something. "I just I miss it you know? I miss.. you."

"What's your boyfriend have to say about that, Jordan?" His tone was softer than he expected it to be. He'd meant it to be poignantly hurtful but it had ended up just sounding hurt. He watched her reflection in the double swinging doors as her head bobbed towards the ground. He wished he'd said something else, anything else.

"You know what your right." She turned her wounded gesture into a over exaggerated nod. "This was—unnecessary" She didn't tell him Pollak was gone. She didn't tell him that he'd given her back her key before she could even ask. She didn't tell him she'd seen nothing in his eyes but her own loneliness for what she and Woody once had. She had failed that test right along with him. "I'll see you around."

"See you around." He mumbled pushing himself through the doors and away from her.

* * *

"That was quick." Nigel quipped not even trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"Are you done?" Woody's pleasant demeanor had vanished. Nigel winced.

"Yeah." Came Bug's reply. "One abusive boyfriend coming right up."

"Great, thanks." He squared his jaw and walked out the door. Nigel and Bug exchanged glances as Jordan walked in.

"What did you do?" Nigel hollered.

"Is he gone?" She looked around the room remorsefully.

"You didn't tell him?" Nigel accused tossing his hand into the air.

"I—" She looked from Bug to Nigel and then down at her feet. "You know what? I've got work to do."

* * *

For the past hour, Jordan Cavanaugh had been starring at the same autopsy report. She replayed the incident with Woody in her head, counting the number of chances she'd had to say something. The number of times she could have pushed it another way

_Awe, come on now Jordan, its' not like he was blameless. Right?_ She assured herself defensively._ After all this was his doing._

She'd finally laid it on the line. It was him that shot her down.

_For once. _She told herself, thinking of all the times Woody had given her to tell him how she really felt. All of the times she could have let go of the fear and didn't flashed across her mind. She closed her eyes, remembering the time she had told him and how she wished now she hadn't. Then her phone rang.

"Cavanaugh?" She hadn't recognized the number on her cell phone. That had made her nervous, even though she didn't really know why, until she heard the voice on the phone and her heart started to race all over again.

"Dr. Cavanaugh? This is detective Monrow, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, again."

The woman on the phone kept talking, but all she could understand was six months ago. Woody on the gurney before surgery. Woody laying there in recovery broken and scared. Woody pulling his hand back from her and telling her to get out.

She remembered in pieces on the way to the hospital. Monrow had said "the suspect had a gun, Woody was wounded, and she could she come as soon as possible? She was his emergency contact.

_He must have forgotten to change that_. She thought masochistically, as she raced towards the emergency room doors. Her mind hit them full force sending her back six months to the last time.

She reenacted the scene in slow motion; running to the desk and shouting out his name, again the nurse behind the desk lifted her finger again and pointed behind Jordan's back. She spun, eyes blurred with tears towards that direction, and there he was.

"Jordan?" He looked to her and then back to the nurse who applied the oversized bandage over his exposed shoulder. "Hey, they shouldn't have to call you for this. It was like, three stitches. I told them I could drive myself home but the really insisted that I--. Jordan?"

She'd stopped moving, her breath stuck in her chest, she starred at him. She could vaguely feel her body lurching forward with pent-up sobs. All she could do was stare at him, into his beautiful alert and open eyes. He walked closer to her. Holding her gaze for longer than he had in months. In that moment she saw something start to creep into his expression. He realized the fear shefelt with him being hurt; the panic she had felt seeing him lying there, bleeding on that gurney, all those months before. He moved towards her pulling his shirt back up over his shoulder.

"Jordan, hey, it's all right." She pressed her lips together, desperate not to cry here in front of him, not now. She tried not to show the weakness that this place made her feel. The place where they'd lost each other.

Something had clicked inside of Woody's mind. He could almost understand what his nightmarish ideal had been for _her_. He could imagine her now, pacing the halls during his five hours of surgery. Pleading and making deals between herself and God. Making promises, if he'd only spare this man that she loved. Pleading not to lose yet another person she loved. For a brief second he let himself be in her place, imagining waiting to see if she would live or die. It physically struck him.

She feebly attempted to regain herself and walk away, glancing from left to right willing her legs to move from their spot. She'd wanted to tell him she was glad he was all right and get the hell out of this place.

Instead she squeaked out a small frightened sound just before he reached her. Using his good arm to pull her violently into his exposed chest. She sobbed, grasping the his unbuttoned shirt and pressing into his body. Her breath caught momentarily as she ran her fingers along the smooth crease of his scar.

"It's okay, Jordan. I'm okay." Her powerfully raw emotions made him more aware of his own oblivion. The days of his hospital stay floated around lost in the fog of his medicated mind, but for her they were sharp and real. Full of rejection, he reminded himself swallowing back the taste of guilt.. He knew what it was like to get the call she got that night. He knew the feeling of panic on the ride to the hospital. The questions you ask about the last time you told that person what they meant to you.

"Shh, Shh, Jordan please." His voice gave out a little as he gave into her sorrow. He pressed his lips against her forehead. "I'm okay."

"I didn't want to loose you." She sputtered into his embrace. "I couldn't."

"Hey" He pulled her back from him abruptly, wincing quickly at the sharp pain in his shoulder. He pushed his gaze deep into her eyes. "You did not loose me." The panic dropped from her face just long enough for him to see she wanted to believe him. "You hear me? You did not loose me."

"I couldn't let you die not knowing." She whispered. "I thought we had time, all this time, then it was all running out! I had to tell you. I had to. I didn't think it would make you leave me."

He made a quick move like her words kicked him in the gut, as he registered the fear in her face. The months of pride based stupidly crept over him. He **had** left her, he realized, just like everybody else.

"Hey" He grasped her arm again this time even more intensely. " I did not leave you. I will never leave you." Woody pulled her back to him and wrapped himself tightly around her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair. "Oh God, Jordan, I'm so sorry."

"I had to." She mumbled, trying to regain control over herself. "I love you, Woody. I had to know that you knew that."

"I know. I know." He assured her. "Jordan, I knew."

"I was so scared." She whimpered running her hand up to his hurt shoulder, gingerly touching the bandage.

"I'm fine." He took her hand and squeezed it with his injured arm. She pressed her face against him, the embarrassment of the moment beginning to dawn on her.

"Oh God, Woody, I feel really stupid." She breathed. He looked around for a quieter place, pulling her back to the area where he had been stitched up and drawing the curtain with one arm still firmly around her. "Woody, I'm sorry" She said after a moment of silence. "This was really stupid. I made a really big deal out of -."

He kissed her, hard on the lips, and he meant it.

"Woah." She breathed as he released her from his embrace. "Woody, I don't think this is a good—"

"Shut up Jordan." He said softly. Moving his face inches from hers, he waited. "Jordan?"

She kissed him back. Breaking it off quickly and shaking her head.

"Jordan." He warned, pathetically trying not to kiss her again..

"Look at me." She decided. "Look into my eyes." He started to sigh as she gripped his arms at the elbows. "Please?"

He pulled back a little, meeting her gaze dead on with his blue eyes. She gasped a little at the power of his eyes on hers. What had seemed like such a foggy memory returned full force. Woody begging her not to go when she went in search of her mothers killer. Woody ecstatic to see her in LA. Kissing him for the first time in the dessert. Woody letting go of his brother to protect her. Arresting her, bailing her out of jail to protect her.

She gasped, smiling at him. Puzzled, he smiled back.

"What do you see?" She asked him expectantly.

"You." He said immediately, "What do you think I—" He paused caught up in her eyes. "My best friend." His voice was so certain it pained her. "The woman I can count on, even though everything you think you know about her says you can't. I see.." he stopped again as the words caught in his throat. " I see the woman who got into my head and changed my life. I see you Jordan." He grinned with the simplicity of her challenge, as tears streamed down her face. "The only woman I can ever remember loving. The only woman I ever want to love. I can see myself. The man I want to be. The man you help me to be."

He wiped her eyes, she let him, pressing into his touch.

"Say it again." She said as a familiar sly smile crept across her face.

" I love you, Jordan." She let a sob escape her chest as she leaned into him. "You know I do."

* * *

"Now what?" Jordan asked as they sat on the park bench. He pulled her even closer when she said this.

"Now we go forward." He said smiling broadly.

"So what? Go back to your place through caution to the wind and spend the next week in bed?"

"You said it, not me." He leaned in to her and she let him kiss her before playfully pushing him back.

"Woody, I'm serious."

"Jordan, please don't say lets take it slowly, because it really shouldn't take a guy—"

"Four years to get to second base. Yeah, I know." She shook her smiling head at him. "Why don't you just go ahead and grab'um?"

"Jordan-!"

"No! Come on Woods, right here right now!" She brought his hands towards her shirt. He pulled his arms back and shook his head in horror. "Let's round some bases. Come on!"

"Your mocking me. I tell you I love you and your mocking me?"

"Poor Baby." Jordan cooed at him, taking his face into her hands. " I could have told you to leave me alone. Isn't that the typical come back when someone says they love you?"

"Ouch Jordan." He feigned injury. She cooed again smoothing her hand across his hair. "That hurt." He whined silently leaning into her.

"Where?" She smiled playfully.

He pointed to the nape of his neck and she kissed it. He put his hand on her neck and softly brushed her hair back.

"Better?" She asked him sarcastically. He held her face in his hands and kissed her again.

"It's a start."

"So, seriously, now what?" She refocused the conversation, gripping his wrists, pulling his hands into her neck.

"We could just let things happen. Not think it to death."

"We both know what will happen if we do that."

"Oh yeah, my place, a week in bed." He tilted his head to the left and squinted his eyes. "What was wrong with that again?" She took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

"Woody, we still have issues to work through."

"Issues, yeah." He looked at her with that look.

"We haven't really talked about it. We haven't stopped to take a breath." She touched his arm gently. "If we just skip all that its going to come back to haunt us."

"Your right. Your right." He said unconvincingly. "We should go play putt-putt or something."

"Okay." She nodded in fake agreement. He looked back at her seriously.

"Could we stop by my apartment first. I've got blood on my shirt."

* * *

Jordan rubbed her eyes open slowly, taking in what had occurred the night before.

"Hey you." She rolled onto her side and looked at Woody's smiling face.

"Hey." She purred, touching his face. "Do you still respect me?"

"Oh Jordan, I have a whole new respect for you." He kissed her hand.

"You know, I'm seeing you in a whole new light myself."

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I would have never expected you to be so.. conniving."

"Conniving?" He balked.

"_Oh Jordan, can you help me with this T-shirt? I can't get it off."_

"I was shot in the line of duty, Jordan." He said trying to be serious.

"'_Jordan, your so beautiful. I've been so stupid.'_" She bellowed

"You are and I have been." He said softly, running his fingers across her face. She smiled and closed her eyes. "Besides, I don't really remember having to do a lot of convincing."

"Not too much, no." She admitted. "I'm sorry we never got around to the putt-putt though." She teased.

"We can go another time." He joked. "Last night was.. perfect."

"Even though we didn't—" She grit her teeth and waited.

He reached for her and pulled her into him, dismissing her worry.

"Gives me something to work for." He kissed the top of her head.

"Now what?" She said closing her eyes.

"Jordan." His moan turned into a grunt as his pager started to go off. "Don't I get a day or two off? Come on, I was shot."

"Wait for it." Jordan laughed. "Wait for it."

He shot her a smile when her pager started to sound.

"Now get back to normal."

An hour later they arrived separately at the crime scene they passed each other making eye contact.

"Hey." He said softly touching her hand with his.

"Hey yourself." She said with a wink.


End file.
